Richard Gorman: Is Revl the Future of Social Networking?

According to Richard Gorman, there is a new social network in town, and it stands to shake things up in a big way. The network is called Revl; it is fresh out of its beta testing phase, and it is targeting college students, recent college graduates, and young job-seekers in general. The site is designed to offer professional development opportunities, especially for members of younger generations—but do we really need another job-oriented social platform? According to online innovator Gorman, the answer is a resounding yes; read on for more information about everything that Revl entails.

Revl vs. LinkedIn

Dennis Albinus, the CEO behind Revl, has said that his intention is to provide younger folks with a chance to build up their career profiles. Of course, as Gorman notes, this sounds suspiciously like what LinkedIn currently offers, so what is the difference between these two networks? A big part of it, it turns out, comes down to demographics.

Albinus has argued that LinkedIn primarily serves older, white collar workers. (This is not an invalid point, as statistics show that close to 80 percent of LinkedIn users are over 35; that number is just 65 percent for Facebook, and 55 for Twitter.) Meanwhile, unemployment numbers are disproportionately high for those under 25. Thus, Revl seeks to offer career advancement and professional networking opportunities for younger folks.

Different Features

The differences between Revl and LinkedIn go beyond demographics, however. They also include different features. Specifically, Revl is designed to go beyond mere resumes and to offer a more “complete” picture of the job applicant. This means there are opportunities for Facebook and Twitter integration. There are also places for applicants to submit relevant photos and videos, as well as lists of “things I like.”

A New Kind of Social Network?

Crucially, the very look of Revl departs significantly from the look of LinkedIn, or other, similar sites. Revl looks a lot more feature-rich, with profiles that resemble the vibrancy of a Facebook page as opposed to the stuffy professionalism of LinkedIn. The Revel platform also offers job listings, imported from sites like Indeed and SimplyHired.com.

According to Richard Gorman, this is a new kind of social platform—and it is posed to really succeed. “This platform really takes the promise of LinkedIn to the next level,” he says. Continues Richard Gorman, “Revel is a site that should really catch on among those in the targeted demographic.”